Don't You Wanna Stay?
by junebugx87
Summary: One-shot based on the song "Don't You Wanna Stay" by Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson. Takes place after New Moon. Does Bella wanna stay?


**I wrote this last night after listening to "Don''t You Wanna Stay" by Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson. If you've never heard it, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's absolutely amazing. I didn't include the entire song, but bits and pieces. Let me know what you think! Enjoy.**

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**Backround: This story takes place after New Moon; after Edward's return. Bella is finally realizing how much she loves Jacob, and is coming to the realization that she has fallen out of love with Edward. This is a one shot of Jacob finally getting his shot.**

Disclaimer- The song and title used in this story do not belong to me; The characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Don't You Wanna Stay

**JPOV**

I hated these days. The days that she'd come to the rez to spend the day with me and leave too soon. Don't get me wrong, I loved to spend time with her; it was the goodbye at the end of the perfect day that I hated.

"Do you have to go?"

I watched as she closes her eyes and I resisted the urge to pull her into my arms. I knew what she was thinking. I knew that look on her face. She didn't want to leave me either. But no matter what, I knew she would. She would leave me, like every other day she spent here, to return to _him_.

"I'm going to be back here in a few days; I promised Embry and Quil that I would come to the bonfire, remember?" She's trying to be positive, but her voice betrayed her.

"Did you have fun today?" I asked as we walked the familiar route from the beach to my house. I pretend not to notice how she seemed to slow down the closer we got to her truck.

"I always have fun when I'm with you." She admitted quietly and my heart gave a painful tug at her honesty. She'd been doing that more lately; answering my questions in complete honesty and I wasn't sure she even noticed.

_I really hate to let this moment go_

"Call me when you get home?" I asked after several minutes of silence. I hated this part; the part when she got into that ratty old truck and drove away from me.

She nodded, looking down. She'd been doing it all day; not meeting my eyes and I hated it. I hate it when she doesn't look at me; when she hides her beautiful face from me.

"Bells?" I ignored the way her heart pounds in her chest when I cup her cheek in my hand, gently tilting her face until she's facing me. I reached forward to gently brush her hair behind her ear.

_Touching your skin, and your hair falling slow_

"Yeah?" She mumbles, keeping her eyes downcast.

"Look at me, honey." I winced at the desperation in my voice but I can't help it. I hate to see her like this. Didn't she realize how sad she got when she left me? Did she see how sad it made me?

My heart jumped in my chest as our eyes met and I can't help but smile. "I'll see you in a few days?" I asked, silently counting down the minutes until I see her face again. I miss her already and she was still standing in front of me.

She nodded, smiling sadly. "I'll see you in a few days."

I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her. I took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of strawberry and vanilla.

"Call me when you get home, ok?" I repeated, keeping my arms around her tiny form. I felt her nod against my chest, but she didn't move. Her arms stayed around my waist, her head on my chest, and I felt like she's holding on for dear life. Was she afraid I was going to disappear? I knew that feeling well. Every time she left, I worried that it would be the last time I saw her. I worried that the bloodsucker would take her away from me, ban her from the reservation or worse; change her.

We hugged for a long time; far too long for two people who were supposed to be just friends. Did she realize how tight she was hugging me? Didn't she know this made it harder to let her go?

It hurt to pull away from her; to pry her arms from around my waist. "You better get going. It's getting dark." The words left a bad taste in my mouth.

She nodded, taking a reluctant step back. "I'll see you soon?" My heart fluttered at the hopeful tone in her voice. She loves me. I can see it; the pack can see it; hell- Charlie and Billy saw it. I wish she would see it.

"I'll see you soon." I smiled, leaning in to place a kiss to her forehead. I close my eyes, as she leans toward me. Letting her walk away was getting harder and harder each day.

_When a goodbye kiss, feels like this_

"Bye Jake." She turned abruptly, climbing into her truck and a second later it roared to life. She did this more often lately; leaving quickly so I don't see the tears in her eyes. But I saw them; I see them every time she leaves me, and they kill me every time I do.

She backed the truck away from my house, pausing to offer me a small wave. I plaster a smile on my face, ignoring the throbbing pain in my heart.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_

"Bye Bells." I whispered, knowing she can't hear me but I know she sees me. This was the ritual. I often wondered if she couldn't bear to hear me say the words. If hearing me say goodbye to her was as painful to her as it was for me to hear the same words from her lips.

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_Miss you, Jake. _

I frowned at the tiny phone in my hand. I fought the urge to crush it and throw it at the wall. It wasn't even 24 hours ago that Bella left my house when I received her text message. Is she blind? I didn't understand.

_Come down to the res. _Was my quick response. I didn't care if the bloodsucker saw it or not. I knew that she often hid from him when she was texting or talking to me; which I thought was ridiculous. That was just another red flag. Why did she feel the need to hide from him?

_When?_ I rolled my eyes. I fought the urge to reply with something sarcastic like "next week. When do you think?"

_Now._

I walked into the living room, sitting beside my dad on the couch and pretended to watch whatever sports game was on T.V. I saw him eyeing me from the corner of my eye but I ignored him. A second later the tiny box in my hand vibrated again.

_I'm at the Cullens = ( _Was it normal for a girl to be sad to be at her boyfriend's house? I didn't think so.

_So leave. I miss you, too by the way. _

"Talking to Bella?" Nothing got past the old man. I glanced at him and nodded. I leaned my head against the back of the couch, running a hand over my face tiredly. I didn't sleep much after Bella left the night before. I had too much energy and decided to run patrols with Quil and Embry. I didn't wind up getting to bed until almost 6:00 this morning.

_See you soon. _I smiled as I read her last text before jumping up to go take a shower. "Bella's coming over." I tried to contain the excitement in my voice but who was I kidding? I could hear him laughing to himself and mutter "kids…" under his breath.

45 minutes later, I was clean and waiting for Bella on the porch in front of the house. I heard her before I saw her and I was up running toward her before she had the truck in park.

"Hi." My heart swelled at the excitement in her voice and I pulled her in for a tight hug.

_Don't you wanna hold each other tight_

"Hi," I mumbled in her hair, breathing her in. I was surprised that the vampire smell was light and I pulled away enough to glance at her curiously.

She smiled, shrugging. "I took a shower." I laughed, shaking my head. I loved her so much.

"Charlie will be here in a few hours for dinner." I internally squealed like a little girl. That meant she was here for a while.

"What do you want to do today?" It was still fairly early; just past noon.

She shrugged again, following me toward the garage. "Anything you want."

Anything I wanted? I doubted she'd be up for some things I wanted to do.

**BPOV**

I was on the reservation with Charlie at the Black's and I was cooking dinner. I'd been a ball of nerves for several hours; ever since Sam's urgent call to Jacob and his quick departure, offering me only a few words before he disappeared out the back door. Jared and Paul were on patrol when they caught a scent of vampire a few miles into the woods.

"Where's Jacob?" Charlie asked as we ate and I glanced at Billy, alarmed. This wasn't the first time that Jacob missed dinner with us, though my father rarely questioned his whereabouts. It was easier when he wasn't curious; there was no need to lie to him when he didn't ask questions.

Billy cleared his throat, swallowing the steak he'd just shoved into his mouth. "He's over at Sam Uley's; apparently his truck broke down on him and he called Jake to see if he could take a look. He should be here any minute."

I sighed in relief when Charlie nodded, accepting the lie Billy easily told. I was glad that Billy was a quick thinker; I would have never been able to come up with something that quick, and be convincing about it. I was a terrible liar.

The rest of dinner was quiet and I stared out the back window into the woods as I washed the dishes. I glanced at the clock above the stove, sighing when I saw the time. 9:14 PM. He'd been gone for almost 4 hours. This wasn't like him. He never stayed out this long when I was here. Something was wrong; I could feel it.

My stomach was in knots as I thought of what could be wrong. Was someone hurt? Was there more than one vampire? Was Jacob hurt?

I walked into the living room where Charlie and Billy were watching the Mariners game and sat on the couch. I glanced at the front door every few seconds, waiting for it to open and to see Jacob walk through. I wanted him to be here, to make fun of me for worrying so much; to tell me that he was insulted that I worried about the pack when it came to vampires.

I didn't realize I was tapping my foot until Charlie looked over at me and then at my foot.

"Sorry." I mumbled, glancing at the door once again. I ignored the look shared between the older men, not caring if they could tell how nervous I was. I didn't care about anything but Jacob at that moment.

"Bells, honey. Are you okay?"

"What? I'm fine." I looked away from the front door long enough to force a smile on my face for my father.

"You sure?"

I looked at him again, confused. When he looked down I realized I was tapping my foot again and blushed. I couldn't help it, though. It was almost 10 o'clock and he still wasn't here. It was taking everything in me to sit still, and apparently it wasn't enough.

"Bella-" Billy began to say when the door opened a second later and Jacob walked in.

I stood up quickly, scanning his body from head to toe for any injuries.

"Hey guys. Sorry I missed dinner." He smiled, but I could tell it was forced. Compared to his normal bright smiles, it looked more like a grimace.

"It's okay son, everything okay?" I knew what Billy was really asking and I waited with baited breath for Jacob's answer.

"It was a little worse than we expected, but it's taken care of. I need to change, though. I'll be right back."

When he turned toward his room, I nearly fainted. The entire right side of his once white t-shirt was covered in red.

"Oh my god, Jacob. What the hell happened to you, son?" My heart was about to pound out of my chest; I was expecting it to leap out of my chest cavity at any moment as Charlie leaped out of the recliner and hurried toward Jake.

"Oh, I dropped one of the tools on my side. It looks a lot worse than it is. Emily bandaged me all up." He glanced at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You might need to get a doctor to check it out, Jake. That's a lot of blood." I could tell Charlie was concerned and I would have smiled if this situation was different. I was fighting off hysterics, and hanging on by a thread. I knew something wasn't right.

"Oh, I'm sure he's okay, Chief. You okay, son?" Billy glanced at Jacob for a moment before turning back to the game.

"Yeah, I'm good. Promise." He flashed Charlie a bright smile before disappearing down the hallway toward his bedroom.

I waited exactly 20 seconds before launching myself off the couch and taking off toward his bedroom. When I walked in, I covered my mouth quickly, stifling the sob I'd been fighting off. The bandages on his side were completely soaked through with blood and he was trying to pull the t-shirt over his head.

He turned toward me, frowning when he saw me. "Oh come on, Bells. Don't cry." He rushed to close the door. "It'll be all healed up soon." He lifted his arms again, trying again to take the bloody t-shirt off.

I ignored him, walking toward him and gently lifting his shirt until it was over his head. "Jake, I've been so worried-" I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to blink away the tears in my eyes. I gently ran my fingers along the bandage, pulling my hand away when he winced.

"I'm sorry, honey. I wish you didn't worry. This is what we're made for, Bells."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "How can I not worry when you come home with something like this?" I motioned toward the right side of his body. I looked down, not wanting him to see me cry.

When he lifted my chin he frowned, pulling me into his left side and hugging me tightly. "Shh, honey. Please don't cry. I'm okay; I'm right here."

I buried my face in his chest as sobs wracked my whole body. "I thought I was going to lose you. I can't lose you."

He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me close. I worried about his injuries and went to move away but he held me tighter, not letting go.

"You're never going to lose me, Bells. I promise."

"I don't want to leave." I mumbled quietly, but I knew he heard me. He could hear a pin drop a mile away. Stupid werewolf hearing.

"So don't go."

Was it that simple? I wasn't sure, but I wasn't going to try to figure it out. I didn't answer him as I walked out of his room and into the living room. Charlie and Billy looked up and both looked slightly alarmed when they saw me. I'm sure I looked great with my tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes but I couldn't find it in me to care at that moment.

"Dad, Billy… Do you mind if I stay here tonight?"

They glanced between each other, and I wondered if they knew what the other was thinking.

Billy cleared his throat, shrugging. "It's okay with me if it's okay with you, Chief." He winked at me and I blushed.

"Sure, Bells." I smiled before turning to walk back to Jacob's room and saw him with his back to me. The bloody bandages stared at me, mocking me.

I walked up behind him and gently placed my hands on his back. He tensed and I leaned my forehead against his shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"Can I stay with you, tonight?"

_Don't you wanna fall asleep with me tonight_

"Bella, what are you doing?" He sighed, but didn't move away from me. I could hear the pain in his voice and I hated myself for putting it there.

"I can't leave you while you're like this." I admitted, squeezing my eyes shut. I could feel the familiar burn in my eyes and knew it was only a matter of time before I was a blubbering mess again.

"But why?" He turned around so quickly I nearly lost my balance, but he caught me. He always caught me.

"I don't know." I did know; I just didn't want to admit it. I knew why I couldn't leave; I loved him. I loved him and seeing him in pain felt like I was in pain.

"You do know." I shouldn't have been surprised that he called my bluff; he knew I loved him way before I knew.

The anger in his voice made me look down; I couldn't bear to see him angry. "I'm sorry."

"God damnit, Bells. Stop saying you're sorry." I gasped when his warm hands cupped my cheeks and a second later I was staring into the familiar eyes of my best friend. "Stop saying you're sorry and tell me why you can't leave."

"Bells? I'm heading out." Charlie called and I glanced toward the open door. I'd forgotten to close it when I came back in and I could see Billy watching us from down the hall.

"Maybe I should go." I didn't want to go. I knew if I went home, Edward would be there waiting for me and I couldn't handle that right now. I couldn't.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while_

"Why?" His voice was low; pained. I heard Billy and Charlie go outside and I was grateful; I didn't want anyone to witness this.

"I can't keep hurting you, Jake. I can't." Tears welled up in my eyes again and I unsuccessfully tried to blink them away.

"Then stop, Bells. It's easy." Easy as breathing, wasn't that what he always told me?

"How? How is it easy?" I pulled myself away from his warm hands and sat on the edge of his bed. There was nothing about this situation that was easy.

I was a stupid girl; a plain, boring, simple girl. A girl who had two men, if that's what you could call them, who were fighting for her heart. A girl who couldn't choose between the two; but that was the thing. I had chosen. I don't know when, but my heart had already made its decision. I was just too blind and stupid to realize.

I knew in my heart that Jacob was the one, but how could I tell that to Edward? He wouldn't understand.

"Bells, don't you see-" He ran a hand through his short hair in frustration. I watched him pace back and forth in front of me as I sat there, unmoving. "I see you when you leave me, Bella."

I stared at him, confused. "What does that mean?"

"You cry every time you leave me, Bells. You try to hide it, but I see it," I frowned, looking down. I should have known he saw me. I wasn't very good at hiding from him.

"You cry when you leave me, you text me first thing in the morning to tell me you miss me, you worry when I'm gone. I'm not just your friend, Bells." He kneeled in front of me, taking my hands in his. "I haven't been your friend for a long time."

He's right. He's always right, and for once; I can't argue with him. I'd been fighting him _and _myself for I don't even know how long and I didn't have the fight in me anymore.

"I know." I whisper, looking up to meet his eyes. "I know that, Jake. I do. I just don't know how to do this. I don't know what to do with these feelings-"

"How do you feel, honey?"

_We can make forever feel this way_

_Don't you wanna stay_

I took a deep breath, attempting to calm down my frantic heartbeat. "I miss you when you're not around. I worry every single time you tell me you're going on patrol. Your calls and text messages are the highlight of my day." My heart swelled a little when he smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. "I count the minutes until I'm back on the reservation. My cheeks always hurt on the way home from smiling and laughing so much. I feel alive when I'm with you, Jake. And that scares me."

"I'm scared too, Bells. But we can be scared together." Together sounded nice.

"I'm going to end things with Edward." I whispered and a small piece of my heart throbbed painfully No matter what happened, Edward would always be a part of me.

"Are you sure?" He was cautious and I didn't blame him after everything I put him through.

I nodded, staring into his eyes. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes, and I reached up to gently caress his cheek with my thumb. I smiled when his eyes shut and his face turned toward the palm of my hand.

_Let's take it slow I don't want to move to fast_

"Bella?" I wasn't sure what my face looked like as he stared at me curiously.

I leaned toward him slowly and noticed his eyes drop to my lips and back up to my eyes. He remained perfectly still as I closed the small distance and pressed my lips against his. I kissed his lips gently one; twice; three times before I pulled away to stare into his eyes. I smiled when I saw his eyes were closed.

"I love you." I whispered, feeling a rush of emotions at once. It felt good to finally say those words out loud.

His eyes shot open and I smiled at the large smile that formed on his face a few seconds later. "You love me?" He questioned and I nodded, leaning forward to kiss his lips once more. I was pleasantly surprised when I felt him grasp my cheeks and pull my body closer to his.

"So what now?" He asked, leaning his forehead on mine. I took a deep breath, breathing him in and taking in this moment. I kept my eyes closed as I answered him.

"We take it one day at a time."

_I don't wanna just make love, I wanna make love last_

"You kids okay in here?" We both looked over to see Billy staring into Jacob's bedroom; a look of surprise crossed his face when he saw how close to each other we were.

"We're okay, Billy." I smiled when he nodded and smiled at the two of us.

"Dad?" Jacob questioned when Billy didn't move.

"Sorry… I was just thinking of something."

"What's that?" I asked, curious.

"Charlie owes me twenty bucks."

"Why?" Jacob asked, glancing at me confused. I was confused myself.

"I won the bet."

"How long did Charlie bet for?" Jacob was smiling, but I still didn't understand. What bet?

Billy laughed, shaking his head. "That old man said 1 month. I said 2 weeks. Technically it took 3 weeks, but close enough. I win."

I smiled; shaking my head at Jacob chuckled, muttering to himself about our fathers being worse than old women. I couldn't agree more.

"How about we start calling Charlie and Billy 'Lucy and Ethel'?" I suggested and he smiled, squeezing my hand. He leaned in, kissing me gently and I was vaguely aware of Billy leaving the room. I did hear what he said and it made me smile into the kiss.

"I resent that."

I didn't pull away from Jacob though. I was never going to pull away ever again. I was going to stay right where I was for the rest of my life.

_Don't you wanna stay here a little while?_

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**Review if you'd like =) I love hearing from you guys! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**XO,**

**Katie**


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